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Hamilton: I feel stronger mentally

Lewis Hamilton believes he learned lessons throughout his troubled Monaco Grand Prix weekend that will prove invaluable in his battle for this year's Formula One world title with Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.

It was a more reflective, considered Hamilton that spoke a couple of hours after the race, compared to the sullen, purse-lipped character on show in the immediate aftermath of being beaten by Rosberg for the second successive year around the streets of the principality.

The contentious incident in qualifying on Saturday, following which Hamilton suggested Rosberg was deliberate with his actions that denied him pole, clearly still rankled just over 24 hours later.

But given time for the adrenaline of the race to subside, a composed Hamilton will now head to the next race in Canada seemingly clear in thought as to what he must do to regain the upper hand.

"It was a difficult weekend from my side, but it was a good learning experience," Hamilton said.

"You can't win all the time, and you need those learning experiences, with this one putting me in good stead for the rest of the season.

"I feel stronger mentally this year than ever before, and from this weekend I will handle next year, the next time, or whatever when we are in a similar situation, better than I have this weekend.

"I know it is going to be a long, long year and there are going to be lots of races like the one in Monaco.

"You are going to have good days and bad days, and you have to handle them as best as you can. We all have days like that.

"What happened on Sunday was not a bad day. We were second and first, which is pretty awesome and better than I did there last year (finishing fourth), so I still left with my dignity intact."

Although Hamilton and Rosberg are no longer on speaking terms, the Briton has dismissed suggestions their relationship is now broken.

"We live in the same building (in Monaco), and I am sure when we turn up at the next place we will be as professional as ever," Hamilton said.

"People talk about us being best friends, but we are not. We have not been since we were 13 years old.

"I say hi to him and he says hi to me. We don't have lunch together. We don't have dinners. We are cool."

Hamilton has often made no secret of the fact he wears his heart on his sleeve, and that was clearly the case again in Monaco.

Jenson Button feels Hamilton will use that emotion to good effect in the next race in Canada, where he believes his former McLaren team-mate "will probably be untouchable".

"After a bad race where nothing dodgy had gone on and he had been beaten fair and square, he would arrive at the next race very quiet, and then go out and blitz it, and he will do the same in Canada," Button said.

"He is an emotional character - some of us show it, some of us hide it, and for him I don't see it as a a weakness because he could blow everyone away at the next race."

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